Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain, latest research finds
Christchurch - new study has found that exercise may help older adults by slowing the onset of memory loss and dementia.
The US results from the UT Southwestern Medical Centre in Texas add to growing evidence that exercise programmes may help older adults slow the onset of memory loss and dementia. The research has just been published in the Science Daily.
ExerciseNZ chief executive Richard Beddie says the new study clearly shows exercise helps the body as well as the brain. A study found when older adults with mild memory loss followed an exercise programme for a year, the blood flow to their brains increased.
“Exercise truly is the magic pill with no side effects which is something few treatments can claim,” he says.
“Exercise is now proven to be both a preventative, as well as being a treatment for many conditions we associate with ageing.
“With the right type and quantity of exercise we can not only slow many of the effects associated with ageing, but we can actually reverse many too.
“In an environment where we have a taxpayer funded health system, there is an imperative for health bodies, such as DHBs, to encourage physical activity.
“Not only is it good for individuals, but it lowers the long term health costs, freeing up money for other health conditions that can’t be improved with lifestyle changes.
“New Zealand has a workforce of more than 5000 exercise professionals, who collectively engage with more than half a million Kiwis on a regular basis.
“The Register of Exercise Professionals is a member of Allied Health Aotearoa, working with other allied health professionals to explore ways of using exercise to help more Kiwis stay healthy and live longer.”
For further information contact Make Lemonade NZ editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188
Lisa was born in Auckland at the start of the 1970s, living in a small campsite community on the North Shore called Browns Bay. She spent a significant part of her life with her grandparents, often hanging out at the beaches. Lisa has many happy memories from those days at Browns Bay beach, where fish were plentiful on the point and the ocean was rich in seaweed. She played in the water for hours, going home totally “sun-kissed.” “An adorable time to grow up,” Lisa tells me.
Lisa enjoyed many sports; she was a keen tennis player and netballer, playing in the top teams for her age right up until the family moved to Wellington. Lisa was fifteen years old, which unfortunately marked the end of her sporting career. Local teams were well established in Wellington, and her attention was drawn elsewhere.